Key retainer



Dec. 3l, i946. s. sEc-SAL 2,413,337

KEY RETAINER Filed April 5. 1943 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 31, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Y KEY RETAINER Samuely Segal, New York, N. Y.

Application April 5, 1943, Serial No. 481,915

13 Claims.

This invention is concerned with article holding means and specifically deals with a novel and serviceable wrist engaging foldable key retainer. The primary object of the invention resides in an improved key retainer of the type mentioned having a Wrist strap with one looped terminal thereof provided with a swingable hasp carrying at one end a strap stay appropriately locked to spaced arms of the hasp against accidental displacement and carrying at the other end thereof a swingable key including a hollow boW for threadably receiving a free perforated terminal of the Wrist strap to permit the perforated terminal to interlock with a pivoted latch on the bow to prevent withdrawal of this free terminal from the bow preparatory to threadably projecting the free terminal through the locked stay to overlie and conceal the key within the hasp.

Other objects, advantages, and functional and structural features of the inventionrwill appear from the following detailed disclosure taken with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the key retainer according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the key retainer but with the free component of the wrist strap omitted.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2 however illustrating the free component of the strap threaded through the bow of the key and through the locked guard or stay.

Fig. 4 is a perspective View illustrating the key swung out of the hasp, and

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the resilient hasp, guard or stay, and the key.

According to the invention, the key retainer comprises a flexible strap broadly denoted S, a U shaped hasp H, a guard or stay G and a key K. The strap S is interrupted and carries an article such as a Wrist watch W. By such interruption, the strap may be said to include the wrist embracing strap components A and B which may be of leather or Vinylite plastic material.

Component A comprises end loops or bearings I0 and I I, the former rotatably sustains one end of the wrist Watch, while the latter rotatably sustains the transverse bridge I2 of the U shaped hasp H which embodies the resilient and spaced arms I3 each having spaced positioning and locking posts or detents I4 and I5. Arms I3 also include offset terminals I6 provided with the inwardly projecting xed'fulcrums or trunnions I'I.

The hasp may be of a suitablevmaterial to per- 2 mit the arms to be slightly resilient and such ma` terial may be of an appropriate plastic ormetal. 'Ihe key K is rotatably mounted on the arms I3 at the terminals I6 and more particularly by the aid of the trunnions II removably tting into the spaced bearings or openings I8 in the rectilinear sides in the boW or eye 2D having its neck"4 2I provided with recess or cutout 22 communicating with opening 23 and the bridge 24 of the bovrr the spaced resilient sides or legs 3I having end positioning notches 32 removably and closely receiving stop detents I4 and locking openings 33 for removably receiving posts I5 of the resilient arms I3 of the hasp.

With the construction described the guard is removably mounted on the hasp and the key is disconnectably secured to the hasp.` In assembly, the hasp of course is rst swingably secured to loop I I, and thereafter the guard or stay is inserted into the hasp in nrst positioning notches 32 over detents I4. Subsequently legs 3l are sprung slightly towards each other and between arms I3 of the hasp, thus locating openings 33 in alinement with posts I5. Upon release of nger pressure, legs 3| snap outwards to receive posts I5 and are snugly embraced by arms I3 which in this relation straddle legs 3l of the stay G. Thus arranged, the guard is held locked and against accidental displacement relative to the hasp.

' To insert the bow of the key between the arms I3, the olset terminals I6 are sprung apart or diverged slightly, permitting the trunnions Il to be received in the bearings I8 after which finger pressure is removed and arms I3 automatically retract terminals I6 to closely embrace the straight sides I9 of the bow which by reason of the arrangement just described is rotatably associated with the hasp. Hence the key may be shifted to overhang the hasp as illustrated in Fig.

4 or may be rotated to be conned between arms I3. Of course if desired one key may be substituted for another in the hasp, for if the arms.

are sprung apart the key may be bodily removed.

Assuming that the hasp'is mounted. on` strap-r 3 component A and the guard and key are assembled with the hasp, strap component B which also embodies a loop portion 34 rotatably sustaining another end of the watch W is threaded through opening 23 to permit one of its perorations 35 to receive and interlock with the liftable swingable latch 26 whereby the free terminal 36 of component B may be threaded under bridge 30 of the guard, thus permitting strap component B to lie over and conceal the key and when the tongue orv latch 26 is interlocked with one of the perforations 35 such buckling arrangement prevents withdrawal of strap component B from the bow.

Where component B is retained by the guard and bow, the key is covered or concealed although disposed between a protecting and liftable flap 31 stitched to strap component A. This flap protects the wrist or in other words shields the key and is disposed longitudinally of the hasp and between the arms of the latter.

Moreover loop H frictionally cooperates with free terminal 38 of the shank of the key (which is of a length to substantially reach bridge I2) to hold the latter in place and against rotational shifting when the key is interposed between the arms of the hasp at a time when the protective flap and the free strap component B are straddling the key.

It is apparent from the present disclosure, that the retainer may be readily disconnectably mounted about the wrist of the wearer to hold a desired or duplicate key. Moreover, it should be understood that the guard may be removed from the hasp, this may be conveniently accomplished by grasping legs 3l and moving them towards each other. This operation frees legs 3| from posts I and consequently the guard may be bodily removed from the hasp.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof inherent therein. V

I claim:

1. A key retainer for supporting a key comprising a strap component having bearing means, a hasp having means rotatably sustained by said bearing means and including spaced arms, a stay interposed between said arms and including spaced legs, means disconnectably locking said arms to said legs, a key having a bow including an opening, said bow and arms having means for rotatably supporting said key, a tongue pivoted to said bow and adapted to extend across said opening, a strap component adapted to be threaded through said opening and including a plurality of perforations selectively interlocking with said tongue and including terminal means adapted to be threaded through said stay to permit the said last mentioned component to conceal said key when the latter is fully interposed between said arms, and said bow and tongue characterizing buckling means to prevent removal of said last mentioned component from said opening when interlocked with said tongue.

2. A key retainer for supporting a key comprising a strap component having bearing means, a hasp having means rotatably sustained by said bearing means and including spaced resilient arms, a stay interposed between said arms and including spaced resilient legs, means disconnectably locking said arms to said legs, a key having a bow including an opening, said bow and arms having interengaging means for rotatably supporting said key, a tongue pivoted to said bow and adapted to extend across said opening, a strap component adapted to be threaded through said opening and including a plurality of perforations selectively interlocking with said tongue and including free lterminal means adapted to be threaded through said stay to permit the said last mentioned component to conceal said key when the latter is fully interposed between said arms,

and said bow and tongue characterizing buckling means to prevent removal of said last mentioned component from said opening when interlocked with said tongue.

3. A key retainer for supporting a key comprising a strap component having bearing means, a U shaped hasp having means rotatably sustained by said bearing means and including spaced arms, a stay interposed between said arms and including'spaced legs and a bridge interconnecting said legs, means disconnectably locking said arms to said legs to position said stay adjacent said bearing means, a key having a bow including an opening, said bow and arms having means for rotatably supporting said key, a tongue pivoted to said bow and adapted to extend across said opening, a strap component adapted to be threaded through said opening and including a plurality of perforations selectively interlocking with said tongue and including terminal means adapted to be threaded through said stay and under said bridge to permit the said last mentioned component to conceal said key when the latter is fully interposed between said arms, and said bow and tongue characterizing buckling means to prevent removal of said last mentioned component from said opening when interlocked with said tongue.

4. A key retainer for supporting a key comprising a strap component having bearing means, a U shaped hasp having means rotatably sustained by said bearing means and including spaced arms including free portions, a stay interposed between said arms and including spaced legs and a bridge interconnecting said legs, saidlegs and arms having means for positioning and locking said stay Within said hasp, a key having a bow including an opening, said bow and free portions having means for rotatably supporting said key, a tongue pivoted to said bow and adapted to extend across said opening, a strap component adapted to be threaded through said opening and including a plurality of perforations selectively interlocking with said tongue and including terminal means adapted to be threaded through said stay to permit the said last mentioned component to conceal said key when the latter is fully interposed between said arms, and said bow and tongue characterizing buckling means to prevent removal of said last mentioned component from said opening when interlocked with said tongue. L

5. A key retainer for supporting a key comprising a strap component having bearing means, a hasp having means rotatably sustained by said bearing means and including spaced arms having free portions, spaced detents carried by said arms, a stay interposed between said arms and including spaced legs having spaced notches and perforations 'cooperating with said detents to position and lock said stay, a key having a bow including an opening, said bow and free portions having pin and bearing means for rotatably supporting said key, a tonguefpivoted tosaid bow and adapted to extend across said opening, a strap component adapted to be threaded through said opening and including a plurality of periorations selectively interlocking with said tongue and including terminal means adapted to be threaded through and under said stay to permit the said last mentioned component to conceal said key when the latter is fully interposed between said arms, and said bow and tongue characterizing l buckling means to prevent removal of said last mentioned component from said opening when interlocked with said tongue.

6. A key retainer for supporting a key comprising a strap component having bearing means, a hasp having means rotatably sustained by said bearing means and including spaced resilient arms having free portions, spaced detents carried by said arms and projecting inside of said hasp, a stay interposed between said arms and including spaced resilient legs having spaced notches and perforations cooperating with said detents to position and disconnectably lock said stay relative to said hasp, a key having a bow including an opening, said bow and free portions having pin and bearing means for rotatably and disengageably supporting said key, a tongue pivoted to said bow and adapted to extend across said opening, a strap component adapted to be threaded through said opening and including a plurality of perforations selectively interlocking with said tongue and including terminal means adapted to be threaded through and under said stay to permit the said last mentioned component to conceal said key when the latter is fully interposed between said arms, and said bow having bridge means cooperating with said tongue to prevent removal of said last mentioned component from said opening when interlocked with said tongue.

7. A key retainer for supporting a key comprising a strap component having bearing means, a hasp having means rotatably sustained by said bearing means and including spaced arms having free portions, spaced detents carried by said arms, a stay interposed between said arms and including spaced legs having spaced notches and perforations cooperating with said detents to position and lock said stay and embodying a bridge interconnecting said legs, a key having a bow including an opening, said bow and'free portions having pin and bearing means for rotatably supporting said key, a tongue pivoted to said bow and adapted to extend across said opening, a strap component adapted to be threaded through said opening and including a plurality of perforations selectively interlocking with said tongue and including terminal means adapted to be threaded through said stay and under said bridge to permit the said last mentioned component to conceal said key when the latter is fully interposed between said arms, said bow having means cooperating with said tongue to prevent removal oi said last mentioned component from said opening when interlocked with said tongue.

8. A key retainer for supporting a key comprising a strap component having bearing means, a U shaped hasp having means rotatably sustained by said bearing means and including spaced resilient arms having free portions, spaced detents carried by said arms inside of said hasp, a stay interposed between said arms and including spaced resilient legs having spaced notches and perforations removably cooperating with said detents to position and lock said stay and including a bridge portion interconnecting said legs, a key having a bow including an opening, said bow and free portions having pin and bearing means for rotatably and removably supporting said key, a tongue pivoted to said bow and adapted to extend across said opening, a strap component adapted to be threaded through said opening and including a plurality of perforations selectively interlocking with said tongue and including terminal means adapted to be threaded through said stay and under said bridge to permit the said last mentioned component to conceal said key when the latter is fully interposed between said arms, and said bow having means cooperating with said tongue to prevent removal of said last mentioned component from said opening when interlocked with said tongue.

9. A key retainer for supporting a key comprising a strap component having bearing means, a hasp having means rotatably sustained by said bearing means and including resilient spaced armshaving free portions, spaced detents carried by said arms, a stay interposed between said arms and including a bridge portion and spaced resilient legs integrally merged with said bridge portion and frictionally and yieldingly bearing against and straddled by said arms, said legs having spaced notches and perforations removably cooperating with said detents to position and lock said stay, a key having a bow including an opening, said bow and free portions having pin and bearing means for rotatably supporting said key, a tongue pivoted to said bow and adapted to extend across said opening longitudinally of said key, a strap component adapted to be threaded through said opening and including a plurality of perforations selectively interlocking with said tongue and including terminal means adapted to be threaded through and under said stay to permit the said last mentioned component to conceal said key when the latter is fully interposed between said arms, and said bow having means cooperating with said tongue to prevent removal di said last mentioned component from said opening when interlocked with said tongue.

10. The retainer according to claim 1 Wherein said bearing means is exible and characterizes a loop, and said key being of a length substantially to reach said loop portion when said key is interposed between said arms and embodies means frictionally cooperating with said loop to resist rotation of said key relative to said hasp.

11. The retainer specified in claim 1 wherein said rst mentioned strap component embodies a protective flap extending longitudinally of said hasp and together with said last mentioned component straddle to conceal said key when disposed inside of said hasp.

12. The retainer according to claim 9 wherein said tongue is disposed intermedially of the bow which embodies keeper means for receiving one end of said tongue.

13. The retainer specified in claim 9 wherein said bow is characterized by an inserted yoke including fulcrum means for pivotally carrying said tongue.

SAMUEL SEGAL. 

